Many devices have been previously proposed in the prior art for the purpose of reducing effort and strain experienced by users of manual shovels, for example to reduce the risk of back injuries or other hazards.
Among such devices are found many shovel designs or accessories in which wheels or a fulcrum point are provided in order to allow use of the shovel in a lever-like manner, where the shovel head at one end of the handle shaft pivots upwardly about the wheel axis or fulcrum point under downward manual displacement of a handle grip at the other end of the shaft.
Examples of prior art designs or accessories for manually operated shovels, forks and the like includes those disclosed in PCT Publication WO2006/119656, U.S. Patent Application Publications 2005/0160632 and 2007/0227048, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,62,918, 4,461,458, 4,881,332, 5,669,651, 5,732,933, 5,797,637, 5,918,921, 6,237,975, 6,663,085, 6,922,920, 7,111,418 and 8,240,069.
Despite the significant number of prior accessories for shovels and similar tools, Applicant has found a remaining desire for a shovel accessory or apparatus which aids in a rearward throwing action employed in many shoveling operations for the purpose of clearing the dug-up material from the area being excavated.
In such instances, an initial downward digging in of the shovel head and prying up of the earth or other material is followed by continued upward swinging of the shovel head past a 9 o'clock position so as to throw the material on the shovel head upward and backward. Repeated performance of such operation with a conventional shovel can create significant strain to the operator's back.